(2010)
Secreted Aspergillus fumigatus protease Alp1 degrades human complement proteins C3, C4, and C5.
Infect Immun 78(8),
3585-3594.
Prof. Dr. Axel A. Brakhage
Director Molecular and Applied Microbiology · Head of Department Transfer Group Antiinfectives · Acting head +49 3641 532-1001 axel.brakhage@leibniz-hki.deCurriculum vitae
Main Research Areas
- Infection biology of human pathogenic fungi
- Molecular biotechnology / synthetic biotechnology of microbial compounds
- Microbial communication
- Eukaryotic gene regulation / transcription factors
Professional Career
| since 2005 | Scientific Director, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI) Jena |
| since 2005 | Head of Department Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz-HKI Jena |
| since 2004 | Professor (C4/W3) and chair in microbiology and molecular biology, Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena |
| 2001-2004 | Professor (C4) and chair in microbiology, Leibniz University Hanover |
| 1998-2001 | Professor (C3) in microbiology, Technical University Darmstadt |
| 1996 | Habilitation in microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich |
| 1992-1998 | Research assistant (C1), Institute for Genetics and Microbiology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich |
| 1990-1992 | Research assistant, The University of Sheffield, UK, funded through postdoc grants of the DFG |
| 1989-1990 | Group head, Biotechnology, BASF AG, Ludwigshafen |
| 1989 | Dr. rer. nat. in microbiology, „summa cum laude“ University Münster and Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique (IBPC) Paris |
| 1985 | Studies in biology/chemistry, diploma in biology at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster |
Awards · Appointments · Scientific Activities
| 2024 | Ferdinand Cohn-Medal of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM) |
| 2023 | Member of the FWF Cluster of Excellence Jury, Vienna, AUT |
| since 2020 | Vice President of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) |
| since 2020 | Head of section 13 "Microbiology and Immunology" and Senator in the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina |
| since 2020 | Founding member and Board of Directors, Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research gGmbH (LPI), Jena |
| since 2020 | Founding member and Board of Directors "Incate" Incubator for Antibacterial Therapies in Europe, Basel, CH |
| since 2019 | Member of the scientific panel of the Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), Hamburg |
| since 2019 | Member of the foundation board of the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT), Regensburg |
| 2019-2022 | Spokesperson of the Excellence Cluster "Balance of the Microverse" (DFG) |
| since 2018 | Member of the scientific panel of the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF), Münster |
| since 2017 | Member of the Steering Committee DZIF/TTU Novel Antibiotics |
| since 2017 | Elected member of the American Academy of Microbiology |
| since 2017 | Member of the scientific panel of the Robert Koch Foundation (RKS), Berlin |
| since 2017 | Member of the scientific panel of the MRC Medical Mycology Centre, Exeter, UK |
| since 2016 | Member of the Clusterboard RIS3 Thüringen |
| since 2016 | Member of the scientific panel of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (MPIIB), Berlin |
| 2016-2020 | Spokesperson of the Leibniz Research Cluster “Biotechnologie 2020+“ |
| since 2015 | Elected member of the European Academy of Microbiology |
| since 2015 | Honorary member of the Deutschsprachige Mykologische Gesellschaft e.V. (DMykG) |
| 2014 | Main Research Award of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM) |
| since 2013 | Spokesperson of the SFB/Transregio 124 FungiNet (DFG) |
| 2013-2020 | Deputy representative of the Leibniz-Research-Alliance Compounds and Biotechnology |
| since 2013 | Board member of the research campus “InfectoGnostics” (BMBF) |
| since 2012 | Spokesperson of the consortium “InfectControl 2020 – New Anti-infection Strategies – Science • Society • Economy” in the BMBF-programme “Zwanzig 20 – Partnership for Innovation” |
| 2012-2016 | Representative of the DFG-Professional Council 204 Microbiology, Immunology, Virology |
| 2010-2012 | Board member of the Integriertes Forschungs- und Behandlungszentrum “Center for Sepsis Control and Care” (CSCC) at the University Hospital Jena |
| 2010-2018 | Authorised commissioner of the Leibniz Association for Biotechnology |
| 2010-2018 | Member of the scientific panel of the Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig |
| 2010-2018 | Member of the scientific panel of the Institute for Pharmaceutical Research (HIPS), Saarbrücken |
| 2010-2020 | Member of the scientific panel of the Research Centre Borstel, Borstel |
| 2010-2017 | Member of the scientific panel of the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Halle |
| 2009-2017 | Supervisory Board Leibniz-Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig |
| 2009-2016 | Member of the scientific panel of the Research Center for Infectious Diseases (ZINF), Würzburg |
| 2009-2011 | President of the Vereinigung für Allgemeine und Angewandte Mikrobiologie (VAAM) |
| 2008-2019 | Member of the university council (reappointment 2011+2015) at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena |
| 2008-2016 | Member of the DFG-Professional Council 204 Microbiology, Immunology, Virology |
| 2008 | Appointed member of the Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften, Leopoldina |
| 2007-2016 | Liaison Officer for scientific misconduct at the FSU Jena |
| 2007-2020 | Spokesperson of the excellence graduate school „Jena School for Microbial Communication” (JSMC) |
| 2006-2008 | Spokesperson of the graduate school "International Leibniz Research School (ILRS) for microbial and biomolecular interactions“ |
| 2006 | Heinz-Seeliger award for infection biology |
| since 2005 | Scientific panel "Goettinger Center for Molecular Bio/Sciences" (GZMB), Georg-August-University Göttingen |
| 2005-2022 | Member of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena |
| 2004-2010 | Representative of the DFG Priority Programme 1160 "Colonisation and Infection by Human-pathogenic Fungi" |
| 2003-2010 | Scientific panel „Center for Microbial Biotechnology“ DTU Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 2003-2009 | Member in the programme committee of the DFG Priority Programme 1152 "Evolution of Metabolic Diversity" |
| 2003-2004 | Dean, faculty biology, Leibniz-University Hanover |
| 2002-2006, 2009-2020 |
Member of the scientific panel of the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF), Würzburg |
| since 1998 | Editor of several magazines |
| since 1995 | Principal investigator in EU projects |
Publications
(2010)
Activation of a silent fungal polyketide biosynthesis pathway through regulatory cross talk with a cryptic nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene cluster.
Appl Environ Microbiol 76(24),
8143-8149.
(2010)
Interaction of phagocytes with filamentous fungi.
Curr Opin Microbiol 13(4),
409-415.
(2010)
Production of extracellular traps against Aspergillus fumigatus in vitro and in infected lung tissue is dependent on invading neutrophils and influenced by hydrophobin RodA.
PLOS Pathog 6(4),
e1000873.
(2010)
Functional genomic profiling of Aspergillus fumigatus biofilm reveals enhanced production of the mycotoxin gliotoxin.
Proteomics 10(17),
3097-3107.
(2010)
Heptahelical receptors GprC and GprD of Aspergillus fumigatus are essential regulators of colony growth, hyphal morphogenesis, and virulence.
Appl Environ Microbiol 76(12),
3989-3998.
(2010)
Members of protein O-mannosyltransferase family in Aspergillus fumigatus differentially affect growth, morphogenesis and viability.
Mol Microbiol 76(5),
1205-1221.
(2010)
Transannular disulfide formation in gliotoxin biosynthesis and its role in self-resistance of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus.
J Am Chem Soc 132(29),
10136-10141.
(2010)
HapX-mediated adaption to iron starvation is crucial for virulence of Aspergillus fumigatus.
PLOS Pathog 6(9),
e1001124-e1001124.
(2010)
Proteome profiling and functional classification of intracellular proteins from conidia of the human-pathogenic mold Aspergillus fumigatus.
J Proteome Res 9(7),
3427-3442.
